“It’s fun to have a song like this that takes me back to so many things about growing up,” Paisley says. “This is the most magical time of the year for a kid, I think.”

Paisley isn’t taking the hit for granted and hopes that his new single, “I Can’t Change the World,” performs just as well at country radio. He says the song was chosen to be a single because of the timeliness of its message and because it is a fan favorite.

“I feel like as I look around, and one week it’s the Trayvon Martin hearing and the next week it’s a train derailing in Italy, and prior to that it’s Boston bombings, and it’s tornadoes in Oklahoma, and hurricane season is up on us. And I just think that’s what people need to be thinking, which is that as much as it feels like you can’t make a difference right now because these problems are global — I think the only response is that you have to keep focused and decide, is there somebody you love,” Paisley says. “Is there somebody who you can change their world because we can’t change the big picture. But if we did that, that’s what would happen.”